Introduction

Reflexivity

Reflexivity refers to circular relationships between cause and effect. A reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a situation that does not render both functions causes and effects. (Wikipedia)

Indexicality

Indexicality refers to the contextual nature of objects and events. That is to say, without a supplied context, objects and events have equivocal or multiple meanings.
(Heyman, R., p. 51)

Intersubjectivity

describes a condition between subjectivity and objectivity; where a phenomenon is experienced by more than one individual; the sharing of subjective states by more than one individual; emphasizes shared cognition and consensus is essential in shaping ideas and relations. (Vadnais et al, 2011)

Synthetic vs. Analytic

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Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) Alfred Jules Ayer (1910-1989)

3.png (Vadnais et al, 2011)

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(schoonermoon.com, 2009)


Video:
The Synthetic-Analytic Distinction

Kant's Distinctions of Analytic/Synthetic and A priori/ A posteriori

pdf:
English as an analytic or synthetic language

Developing Analytical and Synthetic Thinking in Technology Education

Language

“Language is the dress of thought.” - by Samuel Johnson.
RSA Animate - Language as a Window into Human Nature
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Recent Trends in Educational Research

Contemporary North American educational trends favor a more quantitative approach, focusing on standardized testing and accountability. This approach does not adequately take in to account the social reality of North American schools, and we have shown that: “…neither social reality, nor its observation or description can be abstracted from their self-referential character.” (Sandri, 2008)

For example, In 2002, the US government charged the National Academy to review and synthesize recent literature on the science and practice of scientific educational research and consider how to support high quality science in a federal education research agency

Their response was the 2002 report Scientific Research in Education (SRE), that stated that good educational research should follow 6 guiding principles: pose significant questions that can be answered empirically link research to relevant theory use methods that permit direct investigation of the question provide a coherent and explicit chain of reasoning replicate and generalize across studies disclose research to encourage professional scrutiny and critique. (Vadnais et al, 2011)